Teen shot in neck in Vineland

Cops: Falsely reported as drive-by, boy accidentally shot by friend

Oct. 29, 2013

Carlos Oyola Jr.

Written by

VINELAND — A gunshot through the neck of a 15-year-old boy wasn’t the result of a drive-by shooting, despite what officers initially were told, police said Tuesday.

The teen actually was shot Saturday night by a friend who mishandled an older-model revolver, investigators concluded.

Police arrested the friend, 23-year-old Carlos Oyola Jr. of the 300 block of Axtell Avenue, on charges of aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Officers were dispatched about 11 p.m. Saturday to South Lincoln Avenue after receiving a report of a drive-by shooting. At the scene, they were told the teen was wounded by a unknown gunman while walking with Oyola along Lincoln Avenue between Grant and Sherman avenues.

The city’s Emergency Medical Service treated the teen at the scene before he was flown to the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center trauma unit with serious injuries, police said. He has since been released from the hospital.

After reviewing the evidence, investigators ruled out a drive-by shooting.

The teen was shot while hanging out with friends in the basement of a home on the 2300 block of South Lincoln Avenue residence, police said.

Their investigation concluded Oyola was handling an older-model, small revolver and accidentally shot his friend through the neck.

After realizing the victim was shot, police said, his friends hid the gun in the backyard and made up the drive-by shooting story.

Police said they recovered the weapon, a five-shot .32-caliber revolver, in the backyard. The projectile fired from the gun was found in the basement, police said.

The firearm wasn’t reported stolen and police continue to investigate who possessed the gun prior to the shooting.

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